NALBARI, Dec 16 ? The fate of hundreds of families of five revenue villages of Dhantola, Namati, Goroimari, Khudra Katra and Khudra Katla Barkuchi under Batahgila mouza, five kilometre away from Nalbari town, has become uncertain due to the negligence being shown by the government. The families were uprooted following the devastating floods caused by the Pagladia river year after year.
Till 1996, the situation of these villages was quite different and the villagers in those days led a prosperous life with bumper production of rice and other produce. The villagers who mostly depend on agriculture raised the crops in an soil rendered fertile by deposities of silt by the Pagladia river and this yielded a good harvest. In those days, the Pagladia river was a symbol of fortune for the farmers of these villages.
Now the situation in these areas has rapidly changed and the once-prosperous farmers have no other alternative but to search for other avenues of employment. In 1996, the Pagladia river first breached its right side embankment at Khudra Katra village and caused extensive damage to the crop land besides rendering homeless more than 50 families. The farmer-families suffered heavy loss as the river following the breach deposited 2/3 feet deep silt on the fertile land. However, the villagers got some relief when the E&D department repaired the breached portion.
In 1998, the Pagladia river again breached its embankment causing great devastation in the area. More than a 100 families of Khudra Katra and Khudra Katla Barkuchi rendered homeless. These families still have been taking shelter on the embankment as the government has no vision to rehabiliate them. The miseries of these families have not ended there. The Pagladia river again breached its embankment at Dhantola village this year.
The river even changed its course through the breach and now flows through the one-fertile land of these villages. According to reports available here, atleast 135 families of Dhantola 224 of Namati, 21 of Goroimari and eight families of Khudra Katra village have been rendered homeless. Although some families of these areas returned home after the floods receded and repaired their damaged houses, most of them are still taking shelter on the embankment.
The president of Pub-Batahgila Gaon Panchayat, Amulya Deka told The Assam Tribune that the Pagladia river, changing its course, deposited heavy silt on about 900 bigha fertile land of these villages. There is no possibility of cultivation on this land at an early date, Deka lamented. He said that as the government has not undertaken to divert the new river course blocking the breached portion, the farmers are not in a position to cultivate their remaining land.
On the other hand, as the new course of the Pagladia river flows over the Nalbari-Dhamdhama PWD road, the communication of northern areas with Nalbari town has remained snapped for the last six months. Now commuters have to incur more expenditure and time. The Brahmaputra Board?s project to develop the Nalbari-Dhamdhama road with blacktopping has also been affected due to the breach.
Despite repeated demands by the public, the E&D Department has so far taken no steps. The people have demanded the department to repair the breached portion of Dhantola by the Class-1 contractor that they can complete it at the earliest.
Talking to this correspondent, Kanak Ch Nath (55) a daily wage labourer of Dhantola village lamented that he is taking shelter on the embankment as the flood deposited six-foot silt in his ?basti? area. Half his house given him by the Janata government is also under the cover of silt.
An ideal farmer of the village, Dina Nath who suffered a heavy loss in the flood had lead a better life before. The flood deposited silt on more than 18 bighas of his crop land and the new river course is flowing ever eight bigha of his crop land. However, the people of these areas have demanded of the authorities concerned to repair the breached portion at an earliest.